Good morning, and welcome to Mindful Mondays! It’s Thanksgiving week, and while I’m still working on the next post in my series on dreams, I thought I’d take a quick break this week to talk about gratitude.
The Roman philosopher Cicero said that “gratitude is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all others.” This may be true on both an individual and a social level.
Research supports the idea that gratitude has deep origins in our evolutionary history. For our earliest ancestors, as well as for many animal species, reciprocity was key to survival. As social animals, we did not evolve to survive alone in the wild—we had to rely on each other. When we feel grateful for what we receive from others, it makes us more likely to give in return, and keep the cycle of reciprocity going. Gratitude would have been an adaptive trait, one that promoted the survival of the group and the species.
While gratitude has a practical benefit for group survival and social cohesion, it’s also been extolled as an individual virtue in all the great religions and spiritual paths from around the globe.
Researchers have identified both individual genes as well as areas of the brain associated with gratitude, suggesting that this capacity is hardwired into human nature.
Gratitude is both an affective trait and emotion. Some people are just more grateful than others (as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now). But according to recent meta-analyses, “gratitude interventions” can increase our happiness, wellbeing, grateful mood, and a number of other positive outcomes. And some research supports Cicero’s argument that gratitude can contribute to developing other virtues, such as patience, humility, and wisdom.
Want to try practicing gratitude? Here are two of the most studied interventions:
Counting Blessings: This one is simple: make a list of five things you’re grateful for. (Note that at least one study found that counting blessings was more effective when done weekly as opposed to daily, though other studies have found benefits from doing it daily for 14 days.)
Gratitude Letter: Write a letter expressing your gratitude to someone who has benefited you, and whom you have not yet properly thanked. You don’t need to send the letter, though there may be additional benefits for both you and the other person if you do.
The science on gratitude is complex, with some papers reporting conflicting findings or failing to replicate other studies. I’ve done my best to keep this summary accurate while also keeping it brief. If you’d like to learn more about gratitude science, check out this whitepaper from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.
Article I’m Reading
Your Body Knows What’s Obvious (and so so much can be obvious): River Kenna writes about some of the same topics you’ll find here in Mindful Mondays: mindfulness, meditation, dreamwork. But River has a particular emphasis on myth, imagination, and bodily knowing that makes his approach unique. This most recent piece is a good introduction to his core concept of somatic resonance and what that looks like in daily life.
Podcast of the Week
Embodied Awakening with Judith Blackstone: In this episode of Loch Kelly’s new podcast, psychotherapist and spiritual teacher Judith Blackstone talks about her somatic approach to nondual meditation and awakening, called The Realization Process. Inspired by this podcast, I’m now reading Judith’s new book, The Fullness of the Ground.
Quote of the Week
“I follow the Way of Love, and where Love's caravan takes its path, there is my religion, my faith.”
—Ibn ʿArabī
That’s all for this week! As always, I appreciate your feedback on Mindful Mondays. What was your favorite thing I shared this week? What would you like to learn more about?
Thanks for reading,
Chris Cordry, LMFT
PS: If you’d like to work on cultivating gratitude or improving your emotional wellbeing and life satisfaction, 1:1 coaching can help. Just reply to this email to set up a free 20-minute consultation if you’re interested.
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I haven’t been reading your newsletter recently; I’ve taken a break from reading newsletters, but am getting back into this way of nourishing my soul and mind.
I’m glad I read yours today. The course that I mentioned to you in passing - Leader as Healer - has focused a lot on the somatic experience, so the people you mentioned, River Kenna and Judith Blackstone, piqued my interest. Would love to chat about that somatic world with you.
Happy thanksgiving!
I’m on year 8 of a gratitude journaling practice. I swear it has helped me (in my own self experiment) 😂 to shift my default way of thinking, even reframing challenges like loss and anxiety as opportunities to learn. I equate gratitude as a form of self compassion and connection. I’ll check out that podcast on my holiday travels, thanks for sharing!